Severe Weather

Alec Gifford passes away at 85

Alec Gifford, the newsman who for decades embodied the broadcast journalist in New Orleans, has passed away, his daughter said late Friday.

Gifford spent much of his career at WDSU TV, where he served as an anchor and as news director.

He was born into a family rooted in journalism. Gifford's father was a newspaper man, but the younger Gifford found his calling in a new medium -- television. After serving in the U.S. Navy, he joined WDSU in 1955 and soon established himself as a leader in the industry.

He covered the campaign of then Sen. John F. Kennedy and was largely credited for introducing the presidential candidate to New Orleans voters.

Gifford worked alongside other pioneers in the business, including Mel Leavitt and Nash Roberts, and hired many who would become local icons, such as investigative reporter Richie Angelico and anchor Norman Robinson..

Gifford's career took him to the far reaches of the planet. He briefly left New Orleans to become a network correspondent. Gifford was based in New York City but traveled extensively.

He returned to New Orleans, working first at WVUE and then back at WDSU, where he began his career. His assignments ranged from the desegregation of local schools to hurricanes Betsy, Katrina and Rita to the infamous Howard Johnson Hotel sniper incident of 1973.

Gifford was sent to Havana to cover the historic visit of Pope John Paul II.

Other assignments kept Gifford on the road, and beyond. He visited Germany in the 1960s and Israel a decade later, then traveled to Japan to show how that nation was preparing to host the World's Fair.

The quintessential newsman, his interests were wide ranging. Gifford was at ease reporting on politics, breaking news and lighter human interest fare.

Upon his retirement in 2006, WDSU dedicated its newsroom to the man who helped define the station's commitment to broadcast journalism.

Sen. Mary Landrieu took to the floor of Congress to note Gifford's retirement.

"He is truly part of the soul of our city, and a shining example of the best in his craft," she said at the time. "A reporter to the core, a man willing to stay on the job, no matter what, to tell the story, to tell it right, to tell it clearly."

WDSU President and General Manager Joel Vilmenay said Gifford's legacy lives today at the television station.

"We offer our condolences to the Gifford family," Vilmenay said. "If today we enjoy a measure of respect and have earned the trust of our viewers, it is in large part due to the extraordinary work Alec Gifford did to establish WDSU as a news organization.

"We continue to honor Alec's work every day in our effort to report stories with the same sense of dedication, integrity, talent and passion as Alec did."